American student Lara Alqasem held in Israel for a week at Tel Aviv airport

Israel has said that Lara Alqasem cannot be allowed to enter the country because of her past involvement with pro-Palestinian groupsALQASEM FAMILY/AP

The week-long detention of an American student at Ben Gurion airport in Tel Aviv has prompted accusations of heavy-handedness and left the Israeli government and one of the country’s most respected universities at odds.

Lara Alqasem, 22, who has Palestinian grandparents, arrived on Tuesday last week to begin a master’s course at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Ms Alqasem had received a student’s visa from the Israeli consulate in Miami and had travelled to the country last year to visit universities.

Upon arrival she was detained by the border control agency and has since been held in detention at the airport. The authorities have said that she cannot be allowed to enter Israel because of her past involvement with pro-Palestinian groups that call for a…

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